Dave Eggers and educator/writer Tim Whitaker discuss how to make writing fun

Pictured in the photo: Author Tim Whitaker and students in the Mighty Writers after-school program, which Whitaker founded in Philadelphia. It provides free after-school writing instruction for kids. (Mighty Writers)

Our co-founder Dave Eggers shared some suggestions on The Washington Post on how to get kids engaged in writing in an era of screens and endless texting:

“When it comes to reading and writing, especially for kids who are reluctant or don’t think they’re ‘good’ at either, we have to start with content. Ignore form at the start. That is, if you want an 8-year-old to start loving to write, let them write about anything they want to. Let them write about left-handed gerbils from Uranus. Let them write about Lionel Messi. It doesn’t matter. The point is if they’re given the chance to write about what they love, they’ll be engaged.”

We couldn’t agree more! Read the full interview here, which also includes a testimonial from our Executive Director Bita Nazarian.